Fashion house titans Louis Vuitton have become the latest brand to rally behind the fight against coronavirus, joining British brand Barbo...
Fashion house titans Louis Vuitton have become the latest brand to rally behind the fight against coronavirus, joining British brand Barbour in offering to use their supply line to turn out 100,000 face masks weekly.
Widely regarded as fashion royalty, Louis Vuitton has now reopened a number of its production sites in order to help manufacture protective equipment on a mass scale.
The news arrives in the wake of British heritage label Barbour announcing its workforce has been tasked with turning out garments to support local NHS Trusts in the fight against COVID-19.
NHS workers have already thanked the luxury clothing brand for turning its factory into a production line for PPE and delivering gowns to North East hospitals.
Working with the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, its factory on Bede Industrial Estate in Jarrow, South Tyneside, has made a quantity of disposable gowns which have now been delivered to grateful staff.
Louis Vuitton has become the latest brand, alongside Barbour, to join the COVID-19 battle
The fashion powerhouse are now using their productions lines to equip medical workers
Michael Burke (right), CEO of Louis Vuitton shows a protective gown, as the company makes PPE masks and gowns to fight coronavirus
British heritage brand Barbour are now leading the battle on home shores, sending out branded packaging, stamped with the Royal seal of approval, to hospitals in the North East
Pictured: A file image of a Barbour waxed jacket as it changes tack to churn out PPE for nurses and other healthcare professionals
The navy blue gowns arrived in Barbour branded packaging, stamped with the Royal seal of approval.
Dr Alice Wort tweeted: 'Thank you @Barbour. You thoroughly deserve these royal crests. The quality of these new gowns is amazing. They mean so much to our staff. Proud of our British manufacturers.'
Deputy Director of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead added: 'Much excitement at receipt of our first batch of 'by royal appointment' gowns from @Barbour - thank you so much, we especially love the proper Barbour cuffs!
'Fantastic to see how the whole region is working together to support NHS.' And microbiologist LucÃa Pareja Cebrián said: 'Fantastic support from @Barbour delivering superb gowns for our frontline staff @NewcastleHosps. Really grateful for their time and effort, helping us save lives.'
Pictured: The Barbour factory in Jarrow, which is now turning out the gowns for NHS workers
Barbour has teamed up with the Royal Victoria Infirmary on its first batch of gowns (file image of a Barbour jacket)
Barbour will now move to a larger scale production of gowns and scrubs for the RVI and other North East NHS trusts to support frontline medical staff who are in urgent need of these items.
Company chairman, Dame Margaret Barbour, said: 'Everyone has a role to play in fighting COVID-19 and I wanted my daughter Helen and I to play our part by turning our South Shields factory over to produce PPE product for the NHS.
'Our staff's welfare is our most important priority and we have undertaken a strict risk assessment to ensure we adhere to social distancing and that they are fully protected whilst undertaking this important role.
'I am very grateful to my staff for their overwhelming support. The factory, where we normally make our classic wax jackets is no stranger to adaptation.
'During both World Wars, we turned the factory over to make military garments to assist the war effort.
'We are pleased to once again be able to make a difference and this time, to support the NHS.'
Nurses have been pictured wearing clinical waste bags on their heads at Northwick Park hospital, which declared an emergency in late March when it ran out of critical care beds
Commenting on their own move into protective mask production, Louis Vuitton wrote in a statement: 'In order to provide protective gear to healthcare workers, Louis Vuitton has repurposed several of the maison’s ateliers across France to produce hundreds of thousands of non-surgical face masks.
'In partnership with the Mode Grande Ouest textile network, this initiative will donate the much-needed protective gear to frontline healthcare workers. Thank you to the hundreds of artisans who have volunteered to create these masks, as well as everyone doing their part to fight this global pandemic.'
The government stated that current PPE supplies have been supplemented by £1.2million worth of goggles and masks donated by companies including B&Q.
Twenty four healthcare workers have died after contracting covid-19 as the Health Secretary Matt Hancock came under fire for the lack of PPE available to workers.
Earlier in the crisis before private firms stepped in nurses were pictured wearing clinical waste bags on their heads and feet at Northwick Park hospital, in Harrow, London, as it was overwhelmed by coronavirus patients.
Desperate nurses continue to issue an urgent pleas for proper masks, gowns and gloves amid fears of an inadequate supply.
Yesterday The Royal College of Nursing told nurses they can refuse to treat coronavirus patients if there is inadequate personal protective equipment.
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